Enhanced mechanical properties of silk fibroin-based composite plates for fractured bone healing

We successfully fabricated bacterial cellulose/silk fibroin (BC/SF) composite plates having similar strength to that of human cortical bone (12.8–17.7 GPa). The mechanical properties of the BC/SF composite plates were investigated at various BC nanofiber contents. The BC nanofibers acted as good reinforcements for the stress transfer produced by the interactions between the BC nanofibers and the SF matrix, as confirmed by the molecular deformation of the BC nanofibers. The BC/SF composite plates have a promising potential as a replacement material for existing metal bone plate.     

Enhanced dielectric properties of electrospun titanium dioxide/polyvinylidene fluoride nanofibrous composites

Titanium dioxide/polyvinylidene fluoride (TiO₂/PVDF) composite was prepared by electrospinning process to enhance the dielectric properties for application as a gate insulator in organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs). Scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and X-ray diffraction were employed to characterize the as-prepared samples, and then their dielectric constants were investigated by impedance analysis. The impedance results show that the dielectric constant of the electrospun TiO₂/PVDF nanofibers is higher than those of other samples, demonstrating that electrospun TiO₂/PVDF composite can be a proper candidate for gate insulators in OTFTs.     

Pentacene crystal formation on the surface of silk fibroin films

Silk fibroin (SF) has attracted interest as a gate dielectric due to its electrical insulation and high mobility in pentacene based organic thin film transistors (OTFTs). In this research, the surface energy of SF is controlled by water annealing, ethanol, and methanol solution treatments in order to study the effect of pentacene morphology on SF thin films with various treatments. For different crystallization methods, the crystal structures and surface energies of SF were investigated in detail by FT-IR and contact angle. Methanol treated SF thin film has a lower surface energy than the other two thin films. Topologies of pentacene on the SF thin films with various surface energies were obtained by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The AFM results showed that the smallest grain size of pentacene was that on methanol treated SF thin film which demonstrated that methanol treated SF thin film can be a proper candidate for a gate dielectric in OTFTs.     

Development of a monoclonal antibody against deoxynivalenol for magnetic nanoparticle-based extraction and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

Monoclonal antibody (mAb, NVRQS-DON) against deoxynivalenol (DON) was prepared. DON-Ag coated enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and DON-Ab coated ELISA were prepared by coating the DON-BSA and DON mAb. Quantitative DON calculation ranged from 50 to 4,000 ng/mL for DON-Ab coated ELISA and from 25 to 500 ng/mL for DON-Ag coated ELISA. 50% of inhibitory concentration values of DON, HT-2, 15-acetyl-DON, and nivalenol were 23.44, 22,545, 5,518 and 5,976 ng/mL based on the DON-Ab coated ELISA. Cross-reactivity levels of the mAb to HT-2, 15-acetyl-DON, and nivalenol were 0.1, 0.42, and 0.40%. The intra- and interassay precision coefficient variation (CV) were both <10%. In the mAb-coated ELISA, mean DON recovery rates in animal feed (0 to 1,000 µg/kg) ranged from 68.34 to 95.49% (CV; 4.10 to 13.38%). DON in a buffer solution (250, 500 and 1,000 ng/mL) was isolated using 300 µg of NVRQS-DON and 3 mg of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). The mean recovery rates of DON using this mAb-MNP system were 75.2, 96.9, and 88.1% in a buffer solution spiked with DON (250, 500, and 1,000 ng/mL). Conclusively we developed competitive ELISAs for detecting DON in animal feed and created a new tool for DON extraction using mAb-coupled MNPs.     

Effect of Macronutrient on Shoot Growth and Catechins Production in Hadong Tea Plant in Vitro Cultures

For efficient propagation,the in vitro propagation method was established.Among several culture media,shoot number and shoot length were high on MS and White medium,while the plantlets cultured on NN and B5 medium showed poor growth than others.The vigorous rooting ability occurred on culturing of explants for 4 weeks on White medium,with about 5.5 roots per plantlet.In order to investigate the effect of different macro nutrients,several macro nutrients （N,P,K,Mg and Ca） were added at levels of 1/4,1/2,1,2 and 4 strength into MS basal medium and determined shoot growth and catechins contents after 4 weeks of culture.Low concentration of nutrients resulted in a marked increase in plant growth,whereas high level of nutrients inhibited plant growth.The catechins production was also affected by macronutrient concentration.Low concentration of macronutrient increased in catechins production,whereas high level of macronutrient inhibited plant growth except magnesium sources.     

Comparative metabolic profiling of pigmented rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars reveals primary metabolites are correlated with secondary metabolites

Gas-chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOFMS) was used to analyze the relationships between primary metabolites and phenolic acids in rice (Oryza sativa L.), including six black cultivars and one white cultivar. A total of 52 metabolites were identified, including 45 primary metabolites and seven phenolic acids from rice seeds. The metabolite profiles were subjected to data mining processes, including principal component analysis (PCA), Pearson's correlation analysis, and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA). PCA could fully distinguish between these cultivars. HCA of these metabolites resulted in clusters derived from common or closely related biochemical pathways. There was a positive relationship between all phenolic and shikimic acids. Projection to latent structure using partial least squares (PLS) was applied to predict the total phenolic content based on primary metabolite profiles from rice grain. The predictive model showed good fit and predictability. The GC-TOFMS-based metabolic profiling approach could be used as an alternative method to predict food quality and identify metabolic links in complex biological systems.     

Novel diamide resistance-linked mutation in Korean Spodoptera exigua and a LAMP assay based on a mutation-associated intronic InDel

Recently, resistance to diamide insecticides has been reported in various lepidopteran pests, including Spodoptera exigua. Six field populations and a local population were tested, and results revealed high levels of diamide resistance. We selected a diamide-resistant strain, showing LC₅₀ values 28,950- and 135,286-fold higher than those of a susceptible strain against chlorantraniliprole and flubendiamide, respectively. However, G4946E mutation in the ryanodine receptor, one of the well-known diamide resistance mechanisms, was not found in the tested resistant field populations. Instead, through genome sequencing, we found an I4790M mutation and some InDels, particularly a 29-bp insertion in the neighboring intron that was associated with this resistant allele. By using this distinct region, resistant allele diagnostic primers were designed and applied in a lamp loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay and general PCR. The applicable temperature of the LAMP assay was from 63 to 65 °C for 2 h with four primers. Addition of a loop primer further increased the amplification efficiency. LAMP was feasible with a broad range of DNA concentrations, with a minimum detectable concentration of 100 pg. A DNA releasing method comprising 5 min of incubation at 95 °C allowed DNA detection from some larva and adult samples. The combination of this DNA releasing technique and LAMP resulted in a rapid (up to 100 min) and accurate diagnostic strategy that could be applied to monitor and manage diamide resistance in S. exigua.

     

Delivery management water requirement for irrigation ditches associated with large-sized paddy plots in Korea

Delivery management water requirement (DMWR) is the use of bypass water in paddy field irrigation to help maintain desired water levels in irrigation canals and to distribute water to paddy plots in a uniform manner. Diverted irrigation water (DIW), DMWR, and the DMWR/DIW ratio were investigated for concrete lined irrigation ditches with large-sized paddy plots (100 m×100 m) during irrigation periods (May to mid-September). DIW and DMWR were measured at 5- to 10-day intervals at the inlets and outlets of irrigation ditches on stable water supply days. The mean DMWR/DIW ratios in irrigation ditches L₁ and L₂ over 3 years were 36 and 34%, respectively. The mean DMWR/DIW ratios displayed month-to-month and year-to-year variation. The monthly mean DMWR/DIW ratios were highest (55 and 71%) in June and lowest (<20%) in August and September. The annual mean DMWR/DIW ratios during a dry year markedly decreased to 11%, compared with 42% in other years. The decrease was due to the small DIW and farmers water management to maximize capture of limited irrigation water during the drought. The DMWRs in May and June were significantly (p<0.01) correlated with the DIWs, indicating that high DMWR in May and June are attributed to excessive DIW.     

pH control for dyebath reuse in dyeing of polyamide with binary mixtures of acid dyes

Hydrolyzable organic esters were compared with ammonium sulphate as an acid donor for the pH control in dye-bath-reuse system of acid dyes mixtures. The ability of pH control, levelness, dyeing properties and reproducibility in dye-bath-reuse system were investigated comparatively. Hydrolyzable organic esters showed higher exhaustion and color yield than ammonium sulphate. In addition, hydrolyzable organic ester exhibited very low conductivity less than 0.5 mS, while ammonium sulphate give high conductivity. However, we could not observe any difference in levelness of dyed samples between two kinds of acid donors in laboratory scale dyeing. Over 10 cycles of reuse, hydrolyzable organic esters showed higher reproducibility than ammonium sulphate. No deterioration of the color fastness and levelness occurs over 10 cycles of reuse.